Andre Iguodala defends Poole but says he would ‘fall on purpose’

If you’re a Warriors fan who felt like Jordan Poole fell all the time, you’re not alone.

Andre Iguodala, who has still not retired from the NBA, went on JJ Redick’s podcast this week and talked about how Poole’s time in the Bay Area crashed on the rocks. Iguodala was sympathetic to how Poole’s youth and aggressiveness clashed with the veteran core but also had a unique theory on Poole’s infuriating penchant for hitting the deck.

Iguodala defended Poole and agreed with Redick that he was constrained and that the Dubs’ Big Three tended to play so wildly that it was unfair that Poole was asked to “dial it back.” Then he recalled a conversation he had with the young guard. “That’s my brother. I would be like, ‘Hey, bro, I’m about to flip sides with these fans if you fall on purpose one more time to not play defense.’ I had this joke,” Iguodala said. “He’s my brother. He knows this. Like, I love him to death.

“But I would tell him, ‘Jordan, it looks like you’re trying not to try. Do you know how much energy it takes to try to not to try?’ It takes less energy to try,” Iguodala said.

He later pointed out to Redick, “When we got in the league, if you were a bucket, you got to take off on the other end.”

For his part, Poole has been nothing but gracious about his rocky Warriors tenure, at least publicly. But he keeps getting roasted by respected veterans on podcasts, even if they say they love him to death. At the same time, Poole is an absolute sieve defensively, and he falls as much as any NBA player not named Joel Embiid, who has said he does it on purpose.